no1racefan1

Nice, thank you both for replying!

Is this typically on every sailing?

Does anybody know if you can drop your luggage off with Princess reps at the Hotel Captain Cook if you are NOT part of a Princess cruisetour prior to the cruise? I am thinking about staying at that hotel the night before our cruise out of Whittier. I am planning to book tickets on the train from Anchorage to Whittier the morning of cruise departure. These would all be self-booked. Wondering if I could take advantage of leaving our bags with Princess at the hotel and not have to take them with us on the train--especially since we might want to do the Portage Pass hike in Whittier before boarding.

How does the TA know you bought it from AARP unless you tell them?

I see your logic, and I can agree with most of your numbers (I've usually been charged a $25-35 resort fee per room, not per person). However, the fact remains that part of the reason I choose to cruise is BECAUSE it's more economical than paying for all of those items individually, and paying for specialty restaurants on top of the already 'included' meals makes it much less so. Everybody's mileage may vary, but $39pp is over the limit I'm willing to pay for an additional meal. I'm not going to complain about it, I just won't partake. I'll happily way overspend on massages in the spa that everybody else thinks are a waste of money 😆

I thought the same thing...

I'm in the 'this is too expensive' camp...but I was already there 😄 Yes, $39 for a decent steak is a good price if you're going to a restaurant. However, I see it as I've already paid for my MDR dinner on the ship, so the specialty restaurants should be charging whatever amount OVER that, not the full amount of going out to dinner. Which would put it at approximately $15-20 IMO. I can get a very excellent steak in my hometown for $40-45 (including sides) and I've eaten a bajillion of those since I live in beef country...so the steakhouse on ships is not that impressive to me. However, if you don't have access to that type of cuisine, maybe it's more worth it. I'd be more interested in Italian and DH would love sushi, because we don't have a lot of access to those types of restaurants. We went to the Brazilian steakhouse place on NCL because I've never been to one of those and the closest one is 6 hours from where I live. That being said I think it's great that there's variety and people have the chance to experience things they may not normally! They're probably testing that price elasticity limit to see which price makes the most profit--even if it's a smaller headcount.

Yay, following!

Following!

I'm keeping a running list of things to pack for our Alaskan trip. I try not to overpack and only bring things we actually need and will use, so a lot of typical 'cruise' things that I've seen recommended have not made it onto the list. However, as I read reviews of Alaskan cruises from this year, I'm making note of items people say have been the most useful, and adding those to my list! Packing list: Hot chocolate Instant coffee Thermal cup Collapsible cooler Rain jackets Hiking boots Binoculars Bug spray Waterproof phone cases Laundry soap Earmuffs

I've been following the Alaska forum on TA. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g28923-i349-Alaska.html

I've seen so many fun summer events in the towns we are visiting! I wish we could be there for all of them.

Only 348 days until we're on our way to Alaska!! 😅 I've been continuing to check Airbnb for places in Seward and Talkeetna. I saw a place in Talkeetna that looks perfect, but it wasn't available to book yet. I contacted the hosts and they said it wouldn't be available to book for next May until November. So, I booked my second choice just to make sure I have something secured, and then I will check again in November. Something to know about me....I tend to plan and replan and book and rebook things as I figure out better arrangements....I'm addicted to planning! This is why I always book things that are cancellable and refundable.

You can call to request a re-fare for a lower price before final payment date regardless of whether you are paid in full or not. You can book dining reservations even if not paid in full (okay, there seems to be varying results--but I am not paid in full and was able to book dining reservations using the web version, not the app. I have no status or anything that would give me early access) You can book shore excursions and other prepaid expenses without being paid in full.

I have purchased several long evening dresses on Amazon. Maybe try narrowing your search again? They have a huge selection and I can usually find something under $100. I belong to an organization that holds a formal dinner at convention twice a year, so I've built up a little collection 🙂 I will usually order 4-5 styles that I like and try them on, and then return the ones that I don't like. Here's some I have purchased: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N2RIHQD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CKRP6CC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09VRWM82D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PXX4CVW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R48G14Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G1DFQWQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And you are probably aware, you can't go ALL the way into Denali because the road is closed. Not anticipated to be opened until 2026.

If you feel like you know what they would like pretty well, I would book a shore excursion for them--maybe something they've always wanted to do or something they can reminisce about? I would also consider a specialty dining reservation for their anniversary dinner. You could also get some cruise goodies like a previous poster suggested and use them as part of the surprise--luggage tag holders, refillable coffee mugs, etc. If it was my parents, they wouldn't really understand OBC and would possibly not spend all of it, so I'd try to help make those arrangements. But everybody has different experiences so maybe that could work for your parents.

Log into your account on princess.com, go to 'View Excursions' which should take you to the Excursion Reservations page. There is a green 'View Excursions' button for each port. Or, if you have already booked excursions, those are listed under each port. Click on 'View Excursions'. Go to the excursion you are interested in, click on 'View Details' and that screen looks like this. You can see there are 20 spots available to book right now.

Was able to book a rental car as of this morning! Based on the research I've done, you should book a rental car as early as possible in Alaska. I booked through Enterprise for 5 days, and it came to under $400 total. This was kind of middle of the road pricing. I had to guess on pickup time since flights aren't available yet (and will probably change 200 times anyways). Budget was significantly cheaper. HOWEVER--I read a lot of stories about last summer when Budget cancelled people's rental cars for a period of time because supposedly their pricing was wrong on their website. Those people ended up having to rebook at a much higher price last minute. So, I am choosing not to trust the cheap prices!! I considered booking two cars just in case one of them ends up cancelling on me, but I don't really want to contribute to the car shortage problem by tying up two cars knowing I'll only use one. So, fingers crossed I get good karma from that and everything works out just fine with my Enterprise reservation!

One thing I tried to find information on when I first started planning our trip was how soon did I need to book excursions? Everybody says book as soon as possible because Alaska excursions are known to sell out. I think that's sound advice, BUT if you are booking ship's excursions, you can keep track of how many spots are available by looking at the excursions details. I was really interested in how soon excursions typically sell out. A year in advance? 6 months? I have all of our excursions booked but by looking at the details I can see we still have time to book more or change our minds. Here's what some excursions look like as of today, just shy of 1 year out from our cruise: Hubbard Glacier 20 out of 20 spots still available Chilkoot Trail Hike & Float 6 spots remaining Mendenhall Glacier Explorer 20 spots remaining (this started with 20 and we booked 2, so this seems to confirm they add spots to some of the more popular tours as they get booked) Ketchikan Fishing & Wilderness Dining 11 out of 12 spots available Lumberjack Show 20 out of 20 spots available YMMV depending on what time of summer your cruise is, but I feel comfortable saying 1 year out you will most likely get the excursions you want. I'll update again at 6 months!

I agree--jeans on the plane and then I'll have them if I want to re-wear them... I felt the same way about packing cubes. I bought some a few years ago because everybody raves about them, but they just didn't help me at all! Haven't used them since the first time. Although...thinking for this trip, since we are staying in a different place every night before the cruise, a packing cube might be helpful moving daily stuff around so we aren't getting into every bag every day.

WOW that was a steal!!

I haven't tried compression bags but I've seen a lot of people compliment them. A luggage scale is very handy! I got one similar to this many years ago and it's easy to use and pack with you so you can check your weight coming home! https://www.amazon.com/Longang-Digital-Temperature-Function-Included/dp/B07N1F68PZ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2A7Q2YX7T28YE&keywords=luggage+scale&qid=1684152664&s=instant-video&sprefix=luggage+scal%2Cinstant-video%2C242&sr=1-2-catcorr

Yep, pretty similar here! Outdoors in AK seems pretty similar to outdoors in WY, so I feel pretty comfortable planning packing. It's way harder for me to plan for a beach destination, lol. I have a pair of waterproof Keen hiking boots DH got me for Christmas last year so they will definitely come along, as well as my Brooks running shoes (I don't run). Bombas socks are the bomb!!